In general, an anion generator makes a current flow through a discharge electrode and a ground electrode, so that electrons can be transferred from the discharge electrode to the ground electrode. The transferred electrons ionize contact substances to have a negative polarity.
Here, anions generated when the electrons discharged from the discharge electrode and transferred to the direction of the ground electrode are coupled with the air or other substances, neutralize static electricity having a positive polarity, activate cells of a human body, purify blood, and palliate pain. Therefore, the anions absorb attention.
Among the anions, OH− couples with bacteria to destroy cell walls of bacteria, thereby obtaining sterilization and disinfection effects. OH− has a higher oxidization performance than O3 and Cl2 by two times, and sterilizes bacteria with a higher oxidization speed than O3 and ultraviolet rays by 200 times and 180 times, respectively. Thus OH− generated by the anion generator has attained growing attention.
When the electrons discharged from the discharge electrode collide with H2O of the air with a certain energy, the H2O is divided into H+ and OH−. H+ is coupled with the electrons from the discharge electrode to form H2, and volatilized. OH− sterilizes the bacteria of the air by oxidizing the cell walls of the bacteria.
However, although OH− is an oxygen compound having free electrons and sterilizes bacteria, it is also known as a free radical, permeating into the human body and generating oxidization reactions, for example, destroying cell walls.
Exemplary free radicals include O2−, OH−, H2O2+ and LOOH−. OH− has the highest oxidization performance.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, OH− that is the free radical, has detrimental effects on the human body, for example, it damages DNA, destroys the cell walls of lipid, chain-reacts with products and deforms protein. OH− also influences the generation of cancer, aging and the generation of mutant.
Accordingly, the electrons discharged from the discharge electrode of the anion generator react with H2O of the air, and the H2O decomposes into H2 and OH−. Some of OH− sterilizes the bacteria of the air, and the other penetrate into the human body and exerts a bad influence on the skin of the human body, as the free radical.
The anion generator installed in each house to generate the anions and remove and sterilize alien substances must generate OH− for sterilization by decomposing H2O of the air. As a result, there are strong demands for preventing damages caused by excessive OH− penetrating into the human body.